An energy-efficient lighting retrofit performed by LumaTech at the Eagle Mountain Shopping Center in Batesville, Ark. has cut the shopping center’s energy consumption for outdoor lighting by 82%, saving $42,580 in annual energy and maintenance costs.

Before the retrofit, the shopping center’s parking lot was illuminated with 81 pole-mounted metal halide lamps, each consuming 1,080 watts of electricity. LumaTech selected 375W CeramaTek™ metal halide lamps as replacements. The new lamps fit directly into the existing fixtures, maintain the parking lot’s average light levels and use 65% less energy than the originals.

In addition to the parking lot pole lighting, LumaTech performed a comprehensive retrofit of the shopping center’s other outdoor lighting fixtures with a mix of LED and energy-efficient HID replacements. As a result, the entire outdoor lighting system now uses 65% less energy when it’s in use and requires less frequent maintenance.

The retrofit also included the addition of an automated wireless control system. The system uses the shopping center’s precise location to calculate sunset and sunrise times throughout the year to ensure that the lighting automatically comes on at the appropriate time. It also allowed the shopping center’s lighting to be scheduled to automatically turn off at midnight every night, reducing the overall lighting hours by 50%.

Rebates available through Entergy Arkansas paid for a significant portion of the project’s initial costs.

“The rebates available for this retrofit made it even more attractive,” said Carey. “Processing rebates can be very cumbersome, but LumaTech handled all of that for us.”

The entire retrofit project cost just under $84,000, but it was eligible for nearly $63,000 in energy-efficiency rebates. As a result, the project’s $21,000 cost to the facility owner was paid for in energy and maintenance savings in just six months.

“We normally say that any lighting retrofit that pays for itself in less than four years is a good opportunity,” said Ben Grothe, LumaTech’s owner. “With a six-month payback period, this project was a great opportunity for the shopping center.”

In addition to energy savings, the retrofit project significantly reduced the shopping center’s lighting maintenance costs. For example, the 81 parking lot lights originally had a 9,000-hour rated life, and were on for approximately 12 hours a day. The replacements have a 50,000-hour rated life, and are on for approximately 6 hours a day, greatly reducing maintenance intervals. The control system also helps to reduce service calls by allowing for the system’s settings to be adjusted remotely.

“The tenants have definitely noticed the improved lighting in the shopping center,” said Carey. “It looks better at night, and our lighting costs have dropped dramatically. My only regret is that we didn’t do this sooner.”

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About LumaTech
As Arkansas’ only professional lighting and sign maintenance company, LumaTech provides businesses across the state planned lighting maintenance programs, interior and exterior lighting service, sign installation and repair, energy-efficiency audits and retrofits, electrical service and 24-hour emergency lighting service.